The Guardian Blade
by Wild Knightblazer
Summary: [DISCONTINUED] When a nobleman discovers a terrifying prophecy and Rudy and Jack are crippled, it's up to a lone girl to fight pure evil and set things right. At least, it was, but this is now on indefinite hiatus.
1. Prologue

The Guardian Blade

The Guardian Blade 

I suppose there's no getting past it…sigh…

Disclaimer: I don't own Wild Arms or it's characters. Everyone happy? Good.

Prologue 

The blue-haired girl stared at the countryside whipping by. She sighed, wondering when the ride would be over. Her father had dragged her along on another "small jaunt." Of course, riding halfway across Filgaia was hardly a jaunt.

This time, her father was visiting the royal family of Adlehyde. She knew all too well about the place. She had read in her history books about how the current Queen and two of her friends had saved Filgaia about twenty years ago.

She still had no clue as to why they were visiting Adlehyde. Her father had brought along nothing but a bag of clothes and a book. It was odd because he usually took three or four bags on his journeys. When she had asked, he had simply said, "Wait and see."

She hated it when she was denied information.

"Anastasia? Are you alright?" her father asked from the other side of the carriage.

Anastasia looked at her father. "Yes, I'm fine," she lied easily.

Ray Valeria nodded, and continued to speak with the driver.

Anastasia looked out the window again. _Oh please, she thought. __Why did I have to leave my friends? Why must I go with my father on a seemingly pointless journey?_

Then she reminded herself, it might not be pointless. But how would she know? Ray had told her squat about the subject.

After another five minutes, the carriage abruptly stopped. The driver leaped down. "Welcome to Adlehyde, friends!" he said, smiling.

Ray opened the door and stepped out of the carriage. Anastasia stayed inside a bit longer, staring at the large city.

"Anastasia! Are you staying in there or are you coming?" her father called.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she grumbled. She stood up and felt her pocket to make sure…

Yeah, the amulet was there. The amulet her best friend had given her. He had said it was…

Eh, it was so corny she didn't want to think about it again. But she still thought it was nice of him.

Sighing again, she grabbed her pack and stepped down into Adlehyde.

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"Anastasia, I need to speak with the Royal Family," Ray said. "Please stay in town."

"Fine," Anastasia mumbled. Ray turned and walked up the set of stairs to the castle.

Anastasia let out a long breath and leaned against a nearby wall. _I wonder what Father wants with the Royal Family…She thought. __Maybe it had to do with that book. I don't see why he didn't tell me about it._

After a few minutes, she got up. With nothing better to do, she walked into the plaza of Adlehyde.

**A/N: Short, yes, I know…but give me a chance. This is far from done.**


	2. The First Attack

Guardian Blade Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Ray walked up to the gates of Adlehyde Castle, stopping by the two guards.

"Yeah? You want something?" One of the guards asked.

Ray cleared his throat. "I would like to speak with the Queen."

The other guards waved his hand dismissively behind him. "Go right ahead."

The guards looked at Ray, and both burst into laughter when he saw the puzzled look on his face. "What? You're surprised at how easily we let you through?"

"Well…uh…yes."

"Anyone can visit the castle. Heck, this place is more like a tourist spot than a royal castle."

Ray blinked. "Oh…I'm sorry. I haven't visited Adlehyde for quite some time, so I had no idea."

The guard shrugged. "That's alright. Can't blame you for being behind the times." The guards laughed again. Ray sighed and walked past.

Ray stood in the throne room of the castle, looking around. He had been here before when he was a small boy, and the place amazed him now as much as it did then.

Looking forward, he noticed the Queen, Cecilia Lynne Adlehyde, sitting on the throne, and her assistant, Minister Johan, by her side. Twenty years ago, she and her two friends, known by the names Rudy Roughnight and Jack Van Burace, had saved Filgaia from the threats of the evil Metal Demons. Afterwards, they had left Adlehyde to fulfill their roles as Dream Chasers. Minister Johan had promised to take care of Adlehyde in Cecilia's absence-but, unfortunately, he didn't do as good as everyone thought he would. Five years later, Cecilia had been forced to return.

Ray smiled as he reflected upon all that, and walked down the hall.

Cecilia, looking up from a conversation with Johan, noticed Ray walking towards her. She sat up straight on the throne.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Ray greeted, and bowed.

"And the same to you, sir," Cecilia replied, smiling. "What brings you here today?"

Ray stood up. "I am Ray Valeria," he began.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "Ray Valeria…why does that name sound familiar?"

Ray nodded. "I was a good friend of your parents."

"Oh! Yes, that's it. What are you here for?"

"Your Highness, I was reading a book the other day," Ray said, pulling out the book that he had brought with him. "And I noticed something interesting. Take a look at this." He opened the book to the page and handed it to the Queen.

(A/N: No, I'm not going to do one of those legends described in a poetic passage, I suck at that.)

A few minutes passed silently, as Cecilia read the passage Ray had pointed out. "A new threat…even more powerful than the demons?" she wondered. "It'll…oh my…destroy everything in a white-hot blaze…) She shook her head and looked up. "Why'd you come here just to tell me about this?"

Ray shrugged. "It just seemed…imperative…that I notify you." (A/N: Did I use imperative right?)

Cecilia sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "I don't know what to do about this…"

Ray was silent. _Now that I think about it…what _was_ the point of bringing this to her? Did I possibly think she could know what it means?_ He shook his head.

"My queen," Minister Johan started, "may I suggest we take this passage to someone who may know what it means?"

Cecilia removed her hand. "That's a good idea. But I can't think of anyone who could possibly interpret this."

Ray turned away. What had he accomplished by bringing the news to Cecilia? Nothing but causing her discomfort. He had a strong urge to punch himself.

(A/N: Sorry if that scene was a little dull…)

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Meanwhile, Anastasia had gotten extremely bored…again. She leaned against a wall in the East Plaza, watching as people set the place up for the upcoming festival.

After about half an hour of watching, she was just about ready to turn around, storm into Adlehyde Castle, grab her father and ask him to tell her what he was doing. She had just decided to do so, when suddenly she heard something.

"'Scuse me! Coming through! Sorry! I'm in a hurry!"

Her head snapped around as people in the crowd fell over and were pushed aside, and soon a large gap had severed the crowd. But Anastasia could not see who or what they were making way for.

Until she looked down.

There was a small, blue…_thing_…running through the crowd. As it got closer, she noticed it was a…

Rat? A sprite-like rat?

She gasped. It was Hanpan, the companion of Jack Van Burace!

Hanpan was going so fast that he accidentally bumped into Anastasia's leg.

"Sorry!" he called as he sped on.

After standing there for about five seconds, Anastasia suddenly gave chase.

Soon she caught up with the rat, and jumped in front of him.

"Look, ma'am, I said I'm sorry about-" Hanpan began.

"That's not it," Anastasia said, cutting him off. "You're Hanpan, right?"

"…Uh-huh…"

"What's the problem?"

Hanpan was panting. Hard. As if he had just run many miles. In fact, he had.

"Rudy…Jack…" he gasped. "In big trouble…gotta speak with Cecilia…now…"

"What?" Anastasia knelt down. "Rudy and Jack in trouble? How?"

Hanpan stopped panting. "You sure you want to know, miss?"

"My name's Anastasia. And yes, I want to know."

"…All right…"

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Jack looked around the barren plains as he walked. "…I've got a bad feeling about this…"

Rudy stopped and turned to look at his friend. "Why? All we're doing is paying a visit to Cecilia. What's there to be nervous about?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know…it's just…"

"You're so paranoid, Jack!" a voice squeaked from Jack's front pocket.

Jack slapped the pocket. "Shut up. I am not."

Hanpan crawled out, looking dizzy. "Ow…"

The treasure hunter snickered.

Rudy turned and continued on towards Adlehyde. "You guys coming?"

Jack nodded and followed Rudy. And five seconds later…

"OW!" Jack fell onto the ground, face first. "Jeez! Hanpan, why'd you do that?!"

"I didn't do anything!" Hanpan said.

Jack got up and grumbled. "Must've been a monster then…" He turned around-and screamed.

Rudy froze for a second, and then whipped around. And he wished he didn't.

Facing the trio was about twenty…_things_. They looked like nothing Rudy, Jack, and Hanpan had ever seen. Their heads looked like green skulls, and they had long, lanky green arms and short green legs. Red, clearly seen muscles bulged from the limbs as though their limbs were invisible. And there was…something…on their torso. There was just no word able to describe the thing.

(A/N: Hey, you take a look at a Protoblazer and try describing the monster! …I shouldn't have said that, should I?)

"What the hell are those things?" Rudy said as he grabbed the handle of the Arch Smash ARM.

Jack drew his sword. "I don't know, but they don't look like they're here to comment on the weather!"

One of the monsters took a step forward. **"Are your names Rudy Roughnight and Jack Van Burace?"** it whispered hoarsely.

Rudy jerked. He hadn't expected the thing to talk! "Yes, we are. What do you want?"

The monster's mouth twisted into a sick grin. **"Nothing much…just your lives! Attack!!"**

With a huge roar heard in a twenty-mile radius, the monsters charged.

Rudy jumped back and fired the Arch Smash. A large blue laser-beam lanced out from the barrel of the weapon. It struck the ground in front of the monsters, and rippled into a shockwave.

None were affected.

Jack also jumped back, next to Rudy. He held up his sword and called "Cosmic Nova!!" He swung the blade in a wide arc and a huge wave of energy emanated from it.

It didn't have much better results than the Arch Smash did.

Rudy clenched his teeth. "There's too many of them!" he said. "How are we going to defeat them all?"

Jack gripped his sword with both hands. "Let's see if they can survive this…Trump Card!!" The treasure hunter leaped forward and struck one of the monsters, converting his strength to power as he did. The monster collapsed.

And climbed back to its feet!

"What?!" Jack jumped back before the monster struck with its claw. "How did it-"

"We have to overkill!" Rudy said. He concentrated for a second, accumulating his force power.

"Fury Shot!" He raised the Arch Smash and pulled the trigger. An enormous blue laser-beam fired this time, approximately five feet in diameter. The laser engulfed the group of monsters. When it had passed, the monsters had fallen.

And all of them stood back up.

Rudy's eyes widened. "Unbelievable! That was my most powerful attack!"

The leader of the monsters cackled. **_"That_ was your most powerful attack? Then you stand no chance!"**

"Why you…! Take this!" Jack charged and swung his sword repeatedly, performing the Cosmic Nova Fast Draw over and over. The monsters cackled as they stood there, absorbing every wave.

**"Enough of this!"** the leader growled. **"Let's finish them, my friends!"**

The monsters jumped into the air and fell upon Rudy and Jack, faster than the eye could see.

The next few minutes were a blur for the two Dream Chasers.

Jack could not see anything but a rush of green and red. All he could feel was the blows of the punches and several of his bones snapping.

Rudy tried to fight, swinging his sword like a madman. Some monsters fell and stayed there. And still, they came. It wasn't enough to hold them off, and soon he felt something happen to his left arm…a ripping sensation…

After about five minutes, the monsters backed off, satisfied. Rudy and Jack lay unconscious, bloody and battered.

**"Heh heh****!" the leader cackled. ****"Did they really think they could defeat us Protoblazers? Come, let's destroy-"**

_"No," _a sharp voice said.

**"Eh?" The Protoblazer looked around. ****"But-"**

_"No buts,"_ the voice said. _"Leave them. They are of no threat to me anymore."_

**"But master! They are not dead yet!" the Protoblazer protested.**

They heard a deep laugh. _"They are of no threat because you have crippled them. You have done well-they are incapable of fighting anymore."_

The Protoblazer grumbled. **"All right…"**

With that, the monsters disappeared into the ground.

A few minutes later, Hanpan crawled out of Jack's pocket. He shuddered when he looked at the state of his two friends. Jack had a lot of bruises and cuts, and it seemed his right leg and left arm were broken.

Rudy was in worse condition…none of his limbs were broken, but he had more bruises and cuts than Jack…and his left arm had been torn off.

Again.

Hanpan shivered again. _Nothing like this has ever happened before…_he thought. _What were those monsters? And what was that voice? How can I help them? Ack, too many questions. …Wait, that's it!_

In a flash, he took off in the direction of Adlehyde, wishing for his friends to be okay.

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Anastasia stared. "Are they all right?"

"That's an idiotic question," Hanpan said crossly. "Of course they're not! Now excuse me, I have to see Cecilia."

With that Hanpan took off between Anastasia's legs.

She whirled around. "Hey! Wait!" she called as she ran after him.

To be continued…

A/N #1: Yes, I _know_ I exaggerated the Protoblazer's strength. I _know_ Rudy and Jack could easily destroy them. But some monster had to severely injure Rudy and Jack, and what better candidates than the minions of Lord Blazer? (At least, I think they are…)

A/N #2: Please don't flame me if you're a Rudy or Jack fan. Something had to happen to them to prevent them from fighting in the war, and killing them wasn't an option. Well, it is, but I don't want to do that!


	3. Aftermath

The Guardian Blade  
Chapter 2-Aftermath  
  
Written by: Knight Blazer 88 (formerly Rpgmaniac)  
  
A/N: HA! You thought this was DEAD, didn't you? Well, okay, you probably wouldn't think that unless you paid attention to my stories, which I highly doubt. Anyway, the reasons for such a long delay are in my profile. Look if you must.  
  
A/N 2: I just realized the summary stinks, doesn't it? "A nobleman's daughter holds the key to victory?" It'd be mighty convenient if she did, wouldn't it? ;) Sounds like a plot for a 16-bit RPG. (Do you like rambling? I like rambling.)  
  
A/N 3: I typed this up on my iBook laptop, and I'm not really sure how the formatting and stuff will translate into FF.net, so I just want to let you know *these words* are thoughts.  
  
A/N 4: I'll stop the author's notes. They're annoying me too. :)  
  
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His head slowly drooped down, his neck started straining, and his chin touched his chest. His companion did not mind this until he started to snore. Then he got annoyed.  
"OW!" He rubbed his head where his companion had whacked him. "What was that for?"  
"Let's just say you gotta clear up your nose." The other guard stood back up and put his spear back into position.  
The first stood back up as well and grunted. "Anyone new?"  
"You mean besides that nobleman dude? Nope. Why do you ask?"  
"Uh...one, we're supposed to look for anyone suspicious, two, an attempt to make conversation."  
"You failed miserably."  
"I know."  
"Such intelligent conversations we have."  
"Very."  
The two suddenly straightened up as they heard something in the distance.  
"Footsteps?"  
"Think so. From where?"  
"...Uh, right in front of us."  
"Those aren't human footsteps."  
"Yes, they are."  
"One pair are. There're two coming."  
"Right. What's the second, I hesitate to ask?"  
"...I could swear it's a mouse."  
"How can you tell?"  
"Those nifty little hearing-intensifier thingies I got a week ago."  
"Ah."  
The owner of the aforementioned footsteps blazed into view right there. They didn't get much of a chance to look, however.  
"'Scuse me! Emergency! In a hurry!" the little mouse-like creature shouted as he shot past.  
The two stared at the dust left behind by the faster-than-it-should-be creature.  
"Was that Hanpan?"  
"I think so. What's he doing here? And where's Rudy and Jack?"  
"You expect me to know?"  
"You ever hear of rhetorical questions, genius?"  
"That didn't sound rhetorical."  
"Stop clouding the issue with...oh, just shut up."  
"Yes, Reverend Overlord."  
"Did you say something?"  
"Not a-wha?"  
Their (not so) intelligent conversation was interrupted by another speedy visitor. This one was a blue-haired girl who looked to be almost eighteen, and she seemed to be chasing after Hanpan-which was confirmed when she called out, "Hey! Wait up!"  
Guard two shook his head. "Lousy kids."  
"Hey, you were one once."  
"I know that...and shut up."  
"Gimme one good reason."  
"Maybe we'll actually have an intelligent conversation."  
"How can we have a conversation at all if I'm supposed to shut up?"  
"...just...shut...up..."  
  
Hanpan sped past all the bewildered guards, all the fancy blue banners, all the stuff he normally would have admired and paused to take a look at. This situation was anything but normal. He realized it was probably not smart to leave Rudy and Jack in the middle of a plain that was still crawling with monsters...but at least the monsters in these parts were weak. They wouldn't hurt Rudy and Jack any more than they already were...dammit, he had to find Cecilia now!  
He finally stopped at the royal throne, and it took a few seconds for his brain to register that Cecilia wasn't there. Minister Johan was sitting off to the side, however. He jumped over onto Johan's foot, which was more than enough to grab his attention.  
"Johan! Where's Cecilia! I need to talk to her now!"  
Johan blinked and cursed silently at his newly-stubbed toe, then realized who was talking to him. "Hanpan? What is it?"  
"I'll tell you later! Where's Cecilia?"  
"She's in her room. But-"  
"Thanks!" Hanpan leaped off Johan's foot and sped towards the staircase.  
"...she's...talking...with...someone...never mind."  
  
Cecilia raised her head off the book she had been looking over for the past hour. "Mr. Valeria, I hate to say this, but...I don't think there's any other explanation of this prophecy other than the obvious..."  
Ray sighed and threw down the book which contained the prophecy. "The obvious? The obvious is downright tragic! There's got to be a hidden message in there somewhere!"  
"I don't think there is. The obvious may be tragic, but prophecies aren't always happy and optimistic."  
"That's true, too, but I'm sorry I ever brought this up. I don't even believe in prophecies. I just thought this was too big to ignore." He picked up the book and turned away. "I'm sorry for troubling you, my Queen."  
Cecilia was about to protest when she heard the shouting outside. "What the...the guards? What's going on?"  
She was answered almost instantly when something small blew through her door so fast that it banged off the wall and moved back into place. The blur ran around the room for a while before getting a sense of it and stopped at Cecilia's feet. The little thing panted hard, as he had never run so fast in his life.  
"C-Cecilia...It's Jack...and Rudy...they're...they're..."  
Cecilia suddenly realized who was talking. "Hanpan?" She knelt down and looked intently at the little creature, and sure enough, realized it was the little blue mouse that always accompanied Jack. But if he was here, where was...  
"Rudy and Jack? What happened? Are they okay?"  
By this time Hanpan had recovered his breath. At the queen's last question, he glared at her.  
"Are...they...okay? No, they're not okay at all! They just got attacked by a bunch of monsters that overwhelmed them like...like something! They're almost dead!"  
The blood in Cecilia's veins pretty much froze solid. "What...how...?"  
"Don't ask any questions!" Hanpan cried. "We have to hurry! They're going to die if we don't!"  
Cecilia's blood start running again and she snapped to attention. "Okay! Where are they?"  
"Just follow me! They're in the middle of the plains northwest of here!"  
"What?" Cecilia cast a glance at Hanpan, and he didn't like the reproaching expression. "You left them in the middle of a wasteland?"  
"What was I supposed to do?! Carry them all the way to Adlehyde? I'm good, but I'm not THAT good!"  
"Okay, I get your point. Sorry."  
Cecilia was halfway out of the castle with Hanpan on her shoulder when she realized Ray Valeria was following her.  
"What are you doing?" she asked. "It's dangerous out there. Those monsters are probably still around..."  
"No they aren't," Hanpan cut in. "They disappeared when something commanded them to."  
"Huh?"  
"I'll tell you later."  
"Look, I have a bag full of ambrosias," Ray said. "And my daughter knows a few healing spells. I'll try to find her..."  
"I'm right here, father!"  
"What?" Ray whirled around, and jumped when he realized that, indeed, his daughter Anastasia was standing behind him, almost as out of breath as Hanpan. "Anastasia? What're you doing here?"  
"The same reason you named."  
"Oh."  
Hanpan sped them all up. "We don't have enough time! C'mon, we have to move fast!"  
  
*I've never seen any injuries so bad...* She shivered and her blood froze again as she looked over her two friends in the hospital of Adlehyde. *Leaving them in the plains wasn't smart, but at least they'll live...*  
The doctor had proclaimed that Rudy and Jack were lucky they were as strong as they were. Anyone weaker would have been dead within minutes of the attack. Jack's broken bones would take a while to heal, while Rudy's lost arm was impossible to replace-the only way to do so was to find someone who could in the Elw Dimension, but for some reason, the shrines had sealed themselves from Filgaia a few years after the war against the Metal Demons.  
Cecilia let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and put her head in her hands. *I wish I didn't come back to Adlehyde...maybe if I stayed with them, they wouldn't be injured as hard...if only this, I should've that...*  
"Damn it!" She suddenly whirled around and punched the wall hard. "Why am I thinking like that?! I couldn't have made a difference...but...ahh!"  
She dropped to her knees and stared at the ceiling. *If I couldn't make a difference, that makes it hurt even more...*  
"But what if I could..." she whispered. "Would it not hurt?"  
She didn't think anyone would hear her. But someone did.  
"Don't...don't think like that...it just screws with your mind."  
She jerked up and realized the voice had come from the bed to her right.  
"Rudy?" She turned and looked down at his face. "Are you feeling better?"  
"Y-yeah...I'm fine..." His eyes weren't open, but that didn't change Cecilia's doubts, especially when he smiled wryly. "You don't seem to be."  
Even in the darkness, Cecilia could feel herself turning red. "I...well, I was just having a temper tantrum...I'm human too, right?" She winced when she remembered what Rudy was. "Sorry..."  
"Nah...don't apologize...I was like that too, when I was younger...those darned angst trips...they really take it out of you..."  
There was an awkward pause. Then Cecilia took a deep breath. "Rudy, I really don't want to ask you this, but...what were the monsters that attacked you?" She herself smiled wryly. "Don't tell me you were overrun by Balloons..."  
Rudy's own smile disappeared. "No...they were something else. We've never encountered anything like them...not even Zeikfried could've beaten them..."  
"What? Are they that powerful?"  
"I don't want to believe it, but yeah...I used a Fury Shot Arch Smash...didn't do anything more than knock them down for a second..." He shook his head, but this only worsened his newly-acquired headache. "Jack tried like twenty Cosmic Waves...that didn't work either, they took every blast."  
"What the...what were they?"  
"No idea...we tried attacking them for a bit and then one of them ordered to attack, and they just mobbed us...that was hell...I couldn't remember anything of it except their strength...it was overwhelming...I can't even feel my left arm..." Realization suddenly dawned upon him. "I...lost my arm again...didn't I?"  
Cecilia clenched her teeth. "...No use lying to you...Yes, they tore off your arm. The doctors have determined there's no way to replace it...I'm sorry."  
Rudy let out a breath. "No use apologizing, Cecilia...but thanks for telling me the truth." He was interrupted by a violent burst of coughing.  
She shook her head. "Sorry...are you getting tired?"  
"Yeah, kinda."  
"I'll let you sleep, okay?"  
"Alright..."  
She sat back and put her head in her hands again. *God, this is worse than I thought...if they could stand up to all that, what makes me think I could've helped?  
No, stop it...he said all it does is screw with your mind...* She raised her head and glanced at Rudy again. *Dammit, he's suffered enough...he lost his grandfather, found out he wasn't even human...now being attacked by beings even stronger than the Metal Demons...?*  
"Cecilia?"  
Her gaze jerked the floor and she realized Hanpan was sitting there looking at her.  
"What is it, Hanpan...?"  
He tilted his head slightly. "Are you crying?"  
She suddenly realized that she was, indeed. She wiped her wet cheeks with a hand and said, "Yeah, I guess...why?"  
"I've never seen you this emotional since...well...since the Earth Golem sacrificed itself to save us."  
She shook her head. "I...I'm scared. These beings could injure Rudy and Jack hard enough to keep them in hospitals for weeks, maybe even months...and we don't even know what they are."  
Hanpan suddenly remembered what he promised her earlier. "Uh, Cecilia, about that thing I said before..."  
"Hm?"  
"Those beings...they're called Protoblazers." Hanpan shivered at the memory again. "They pulled back and were about to kill Rudy and Jack when a voice ordered them to stop...that voice said they were no threat to him anymore...and he called them Protoblazers...not sure if that helps, but it's something, at least..."  
"That's true..." Cecilia suddenly stood up. "Wait...Protoblazers...? I think I saw that in one of the books I looked over today..." She drew in a sharp breath. "Does that mean...they're related to that prophecy...?"  
Hanpan looked at her curiously. "What? What prophecy?"  
She didn't hear him. There was only one thought going through her mind-*The prophecy's coming to life...*  
  
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A/N (I know I said I'll stop, but I can do them at the end, can't I?): Hm, I'm disappointed in myself. I put this off for over a year and when I finally do it, it ends up as a filler thing. Oh well, you may express your own disappointment at will. (Just not too harshly, please...) 


	4. Old Friends

The Guardian Blade  
  
Chapter 3: Old Friends  
  
Okay, big problem here...I have writer's block. Dammit...  
  
Dark Side: Ooh, fun. Sounds painful.  
  
Shut up, you...anyway, I can't decide what's going to happen next to the crew...so, I decided to make this chapter about some old friends we haven't seen for years! Whee.  
  
Dark Side: "Whee"? Is someone running out of things to say?  
  
You just never know when to shut up...you're starting to remind me of Sean.  
  
Dark Side: Huh?  
  
Wait, no, not even Sean is as sadistic and thick-headed as you...  
  
Dark Side: You know, I DO have the power to set things on fire.  
  
You wouldn't dare burn me. The whole yin and yang thing, right?  
  
Dark Side: I wasn't talking about you. (Holds up Knight's Yu-Gi-Oh deck)  
  
HEY! PUT THAT DOWN! DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY HYOZANRYU!  
  
Dark Side: Ha ha...I love getting the better of you. (Carelessly tosses deck aside, sending the cards flying everywhere)  
  
You evil person, you...  
  
Dark Side: Thank you for that compliment. *whistles softly as he slides Knight's Hyozanryu up his sleeve, intending to use it for more blackmail later...*  
  
...Right. (Cleans up cards, doesn't check to see if his favorite card Hyozanryu is still there, *coughnaivecough* then gets back to work) Another thing: I got Wild Arms 3. I've been playing it a lot. I've beaten it and completed almost all the sidequests except for the Ariochs and the dreaded Abyss. So, I read the story you can read to Clive's daughter, and realized that Anastasia's in that too. Someone on a message board also said that the meteor in Chapter 10 was Lord Blazer, which is why Marivel told Jack to contact Anastasia, and apparently, in the seven years between chapters 10 and 11, that was when the battle against the Blaze of Disaster was fought. So, uh...though I don't agree with it, if he's right, that kinda completely negates this story, right? But I don't want to give it up...so, uh, I'll pretend that story in WA3 never happened. Okay? A/U, if you will.  
  
Dark Side: See, the thing is, this guy's a respected veteran on the GameFAQs message board, so if you disagreed with him, you'd probably be jumped by him and every other veteran on that board.  
  
What happened to freedom of speech?  
  
Dark Side: It went up your ass and to the left.  
  
That's just wrong...One last thing. I'm looking over the list of Wild Arms fanfics, and I notice something peculiar. This fanfic, at this time, only has seven reviews. Quite a few decent ones dealing with WA1 and 2 have zero to ten reviews. Now take a look at the ones about Wild Arms 3. Many of them are decent, some are worse than others, some are better than others, but they have much more reviews than the ones about WA1 and 2. So, I assume this means everyone's reading only the WA3 stories (or just the Jet/Virginia's...), and almost no one is paying attention to the older ones. I'm not saying Wild Arms 3 is bad-hell, it's my favorite PS2 game-but don't forget about the classics, please!  
  
Dark Side: ''Don't forget about the classics, please"? That's just weird...  
  
Well, the classics are what led up to the current game, you know...Anyway, what I really mean is, read and review OR DIE!   
  
Dark Side: Sounds like something I would say. I'm rubbing off on you.  
  
No you're not. Never mind that last part. Just read and review.  
  
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Somewhere in the plains of Filgaia, a small monster treaded along silently, hunting for prey. Sensing something in the distance, it raised its almost-invisible head. More food, perhaps?  
  
The monster, a small Pillbug, shuffled along the desolate wasteland, hoping that it would find some hapless Dream Chaser to feast on.  
  
After a few minutes, it stopped and sniffed the air once more. Sending out invisible sonar waves, it attempted to realize what the giant object in front of it was.  
  
No...it wasn't food. It was the gates of an enormous castle. Enormous to the small Pillbug, at least. Letting out what sounded like a sigh, the Pillbug turned and shuffled away from the portal, resigning to its endless hunt once more.  
  
Inside the castle, two machines sat on a table, having been deactivated millennia ago. These two round machines, one red and white, the other blue and white, existed only to serve a master. But when their master fell into a sleep, so did they.  
  
Minutes after we realize this, however, one of them suddenly jerked. Its small eyes began to glow, and its tiny jet engine kicked in. Hob slowly rose from the surface of the table, taking in its surroundings.  
  
The next second, its brother, Gob, also followed the same process. As Gob flew into the air to join its brother, they looked at each other with a certain expression, and at the same time they realized the same thing.  
  
Their master had awoken at last.  
  
Down in the basement, a large object sat in the center of an altar, almost as though it was a holy object in a church. Shaped just a bit too much like a coffin, this container has sat dormant for thousands of years.  
  
Until now, of course. How convenient.  
  
The lid, making a loud noise, so loud one would've though lightning had struck, slid to the southern side of the coffin, finally coming off and falling to the hard stone floor with a clatter that both Hob and Gob could hear, from floors above.  
  
The figure inside slowly opened her eyes, carefully bringing up a hand to shield herself from the light of the torches surrounding her. Moving bones that had been stiff for years, she eventually managed to sit up and take a sense of the world around her.  
  
She realized, though slowly, like any normal person who has just woken up, that she had awoken for her destiny...or one of them, at least. It was time for her to aid one who needed it, for she would not have come out of her sleep unless it was so.  
  
Coming to this conclusion, and managing to stand up out of the coffin, Marivel Armitage, the Master of the Crimson Castle and the last of the Crimson Nobles, grinned.  
  
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In some old ruins, forgotten by time and everyone on the planet, nothing moved. Long-toppled pillars decorated the area, doors hung off their hinges by a hair, and monsters had long since abandoned the building. All in all, it was a pretty run-down place.  
  
The last time anyone had visited the area, Rudy Roughnight and Jack Van Burace, the most powerful Dream Chasers of their day, had cleansed the area of monsters, destroying a large rock-like monster that commanded the others and had long since been terrorizing a newly-built village.  
  
Rumor had it that the ruin was the long-since shut down Ancient Arena, but no one could really remember why it was shut down or why it had been overrun with monsters.  
  
There was another rumor that a Guardian was almost slain there, and destroyed the place so it could hibernate and recover in peace. No one believed the rumor-almost no one around here even believed in the Guardians, so why would they believe that one was hibernating right next to them?  
  
Until now, of course. Sound familiar?  
  
For the first time in ten years, a pebble dropped, sending louder-than-normal cracking noises throughout the huge chamber as it impacted with the ground. Then another, and another. Soon an entire boulder collapsed, and a figure slowly padded out, after years of hibernation. Footprints left in the sand suggested that of a large wolf.  
  
Stopping and turning slowly for one last gaze at the collapsed ruins, the wolf let out a small howl for the now-permanent death of a good friend.  
  
If Rudy or Jack had seen this wolf, they would have recognized it, but would also notice the almost-too-subtle-to-notice difference.  
  
Luceid, the female-Guardian companion of the Metal Demon Boomerang of ages long past, had become Lucied, the male counterpart.  
  
Though wolves are not known to smile, Lucied slowly bared his teeth in a small, yet sad, smile.  
  
*Good-bye...my good friend...Now I must leave to accompany another one who will be filled with great desire, like you were...*  
  
Lucied turned around and left the ruins at a small trot, slowly turning into a jog, then an all-out sprint, all the while heading towards the thriving kingdom of Adlehyde.  
  
*'Til we meet again, Boomerang...*  
  
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Rudy's eyes shot open, and he himself shot up in bed. His breathing was quick and ragged, and his sheets were soaked with sweat.  
  
Why did he feel so nervous?  
  
He groaned silently and laid back into his bed, throwing his sheets back over him with his one arm. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he felt like those things were going to attack again...and he felt like he wouldn't like the results.  
  
Of course, Jack would probably just write it off as his natural paranoia. Being rejected by everyone except his grandfather in his childhood and being exiled from his only home in his teenage years brought on a little voice that always hid in the corner of his mind, silently whispering:  
  
"Don't let your guard down. Something bad will happen. Something will go wrong. There will always be people who reject you."  
  
Over the years, he had learned to ignore that annoying little voice, but it had just returned, in full force. Sighing heavily, groaning that he was getting too old for this, he laid his head back and closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.  
  
And just before he did, he felt a...wait, no, two waves of reassurance hit from nowhere.  
  
Did that mean help was on its way?  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
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(is muttering angrily)  
  
Dark Side: Is this about the uploading process?  
  
You bet...Everything was just fine a year or two ago, but with this document manager thing, it's taking me hours to upload this lousy thing correctly...I like the Preview option, but that's it...Back then, we could write stuff in Word, save it as an HTML, and upload it with NO problems...except maybe one or two, but they weren't nearly as noticeable as the uploading problems now...  
  
Dark Side: I don't think I was around at that time...  
  
That's true, you weren't. Too bad for you. The good ol' days... Anyway...what gets me about this chapter is that it's another sort of filler! No action whatsoever! And I like action! Oh well...at least it's something. More than I had. Right?  
  
Dark Side: (hits Knight with a pillow) That's no excuse.  
  
Okay, fine, it's not a good excuse. And what's with the pillow? Are you running short on weapons?  
  
Dark Side: Well, I'd use my powers to burn you to death painfully, or decapitate you in a really painful way with my sword, but the whole balance thing means that I'd die too. (grumble grumble)  
  
Heh...wait, when did you get a sword?  
  
Dark Side: Picked it up off some sleazy-looking drunk guy in a bar.  
  
Figures...(to reader) Sorry about it not being so good and for it being so short...and stuff. Yeah. So, uh, review, I guess.  
  
Also, can someone confirm whether Marivel's two little assistants are Hob and Gob, or Hob and Nob? I don't have access to Wild Arms 2 right now for...certain reasons...okay, actually, it's the whole I'm-behind-on-my-damned-homework. Homework sucks.  
  
Dark Side: That's one of the few things I agree with you about...I'm glad I don't have to do it.  
  
Rub it in, why don't you...anyway, I'm not grounded or anything, I just have zero time for PS2. Plus I started playing a whole bunch of RPGs recently, both old and new, so, uh...yeah, Wild Arms 2 has been lost in the shuffle.  
  
Dark Side: That's because you're damn lazy. You can't make time for WA2? It's one of the few games that you like that I like too. And you can't make time for it?  
  
Pretty much, yeah...(to readers) Hang on a second. (smacks dark side hard, knocking out a few teeth)   
  
Dark Side: OW! Jeez, what was that for?!  
  
For being a smartass. Now shut up.  
  
Dark Side: (curses while rubbing bloody jaw)  
  
Fun. (Grabs his Yu-Gi-Oh deck and starts absentmindedly shuffling, then realizes something.) What the...okay, dark side...  
  
Dark Side (grinning not-so-innocently, as well as he can with an almost-broken jaw): Yes? (mutters something under his breath along the lines of ''Took you long enough...")  
  
Where's Hyozanryu?  
  
Dark Side: Hm, have you checked up your-  
  
Don't even finish that sentence. I repeat: Where's Hyozanryu?  
  
Dark Side (relenting, for some odd reason): Oh, it's in my sleeve! (pulls it out and holds it up, grinning maliciously) However did it get there?  
  
(makes a swipe for the card, Dark Side dodges easily, of course.) Okay, fine. What do I have to do to get it back?  
  
Dark Side: Let's see...ah, I know. First, you must actually attempt to finish this story.  
  
Possible...  
  
Dark Side: Second, you must write a really, really, REALLY sappy Jet/Virginia romance.  
  
WHAT?!  
  
Dark Side: And I'm talking Midnight C or Triad Orion sappy...(Look over in the Golden Sun section for those two)  
  
(growls very audibly) You are an evil person...  
  
Dark Side: Mwa ha ha...I love torturing you like this. So, will you do it?  
  
Oh, look, Derek Jeter's playing again!  
  
Dark Side: REALLY?! (spins around, and obviously drops Hyozanryu, which is then grabbed by Knight) Hey...how dare you use my Yankee-fanboy-ness against me!  
  
Sucker. (Slides Hyozanryu back in and resumes shuffling, whistling the Lord Blazer battle theme)  
  
(By the way, Dark Side just let slip a not-so-subtle hint...I'm not sure I'm actually going to do it, though. Probably not) 


End file.
